Wind Power to Hydrogen Fuel for Transportation

Hydrogen is a very clean fuel. Convert hydrogen to electric energy in a fuel cell to power a vehicle, and exhaust H2O (water vapor). A clean way to make hydrogen is via electrolysis of liquid water.

Now wait one minute....Your are going to use electricity.... to make hydrogen...... to make electricity??? And you are going to tell me that makes sense???

Apparently it does, if you take into account electricity is very difficult and costly to store...read big, expensive batteries, whereas hydrogen is relatively easy to store, although a potentially very dangerous item if mishandled, or misused. Hydrogen has the additional advantages of longer range per fill-up, and much faster refueling time.

So has Tesla met its match? Probably not, but they seem to have found some competition. Read the following linked article from Renewable Energy World:

German Wind-to-Hydrogen Plant Takes Car-Fuel Battle to Tesla

Large Scale Battery Storage of Electricity

This is a highly desirable approach to making solar and wind power generation key players in low carbon emissions power generation. When the sun sets, or when the wind does not blow, these two forms of power generation are of little or no value. But if the electricity generated when the sun shines, or the wind blows, could be stored and used later, then we have a means of consistent wind and solar power supply.

Large efficient batteries can achieve this, and some are being built for just such a purpose...... And still more efficient batteries are being developed. For details on what is in the works, read Gates, Pritzkers Take on Musk in $5 Billion Race for Battery Storage

Grid sized batteries - New technology from MIT

Why do we need grid sized batteries? To store intermittent wind and solar energy, so that when the winds don't blow, or it is nighttime, these huge electrical storage devices, can supply electricity to the grid saved from times when the wind was blowing, or the sun was shining.

This is a must watch link on TED pointed out to me by Bo French in our class. It is not just about an apparent great invention, it is also about people truly dedicating themselves to saving our world, and many of these people are inspired young students.
Thanks so much, Bo.